Saturday Book Review: “I Love Me and the Skin I’m In”

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review, courtesy of Midwest Book Review:

Love yourself no matter what others say. Follow Jessica on her journey to understanding what it means to love yourself despite how others may view you. See how Jessica handles the challenges of bullying, and learns to love the skin she is in.

* courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

“I Love Me and the Skin I’m In” is a sensitive, yet practical story about girls finding ways to react to racist bullying by their peers. Jessica is a lovely, beloved girl with cafe au lait colored skin. One day as her mother took her home from school, she was upset. Further questioning revealed that Jessica had her feelings badly hurt by fellow students, who told her she was not black, so they did not like her. The story that follows presents some positive options about reactions to racism and bullying among children. Realistic colored illustrations reveal children with different skin and hair colors. Jessica is able to figure out a strategy for going on with her life in elementary school even though her feelings have been badly hurt. She finds new friends who are supportive of her, who share her experiences of bullying. Best of all, their teacher notices and cares about what has happened. She expedites a teaching encounter between Jessica and her new friends who have also been bullied, and the girls who hurt their feelings. Apologies ensue, and Jessica forgives each of the girls who bullied her. “I Love Me and the Skin I’m In” ends with a positive message of self empowerment for kids who experience similar bullying behavior: Learn to love the skin you’re in.

Jessica has her first experience with bullying and discovers through, family, teacher, and true friend support, that bullying can’t get the best of her.

The book is short, as is typical with children’s books, but I feel like this one could have been just a bit longer. The conflict and resolution happened so fast. It was well written and the concepts and emotions were expressed wonderfully. I simply wish there had been a bit more. Perhaps delving more into the motives of the bullying children.

Also, the illustrations were beautiful, but again, there just didn’t seem to be enough of them.

Recommended to children, fans of children’s books, and anyone wanting to bring awareness to bullying.

Thank you Jessica. I am happy there is a book relating to bullying, etc that shows young children of all races that name calling, etc is NOT the avenue to take when someone hurts your feeling. Jessica was smart enough to tell her Mom what happened, go seek new friends, and accept the apologies of the girls who bullied her. Of course the response of the teacher was A+. Hopefully you know a Male that can write a book for the male population.